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NEWSLETTER SIGN UPThe 2009-2010 Fiscal Year budget for the City of Winder will be discussed at a special called meeting Monday, June 29 at 6 p.m. at the Winder Community Center. The public is invited to attend.
lpanter@barrowcountynews.com
What sort of difference does 30 people make?
For the City of Winder, it makes a large financial difference — to the tune of $2.5 million.
In February, Winder released its "Blueprint for the Future ... a Reorganization Plan to Lay a Foundation for the Future."
The title-heavy plan focuses on how the city will deliver services over the long term while reducing costs. The Blueprint had existed in intangible terms prior to February, but was put to paper at the beginning of the year due to economic conditions and budget shortfalls.
Immediately upon its conception, the Blueprint released 30 city employees.
With those eliminations, Winder planned to reduce its labor expenses by more than $1.4 million, Winder City Administrator Bob Beck said shortly after the layoffs.
However, the difference between then — the 2009 fiscal year budget — and the proposed 2010 budget show that with those salaries and benefits no longer in the equation, the city was able to shave off $2.5 million.
In addition to money saved by the eliminated positions, Winder Finance Planner Leslie Ginn said that "some of the benefits and pay increases we didn’t fulfill" also added to the overall savings for the City."That Blueprint is definitely going to save the city a lot of money," she said.
Ginn also said the measures the city has already taken seems to have safeguarded Winder from having to make continued layoffs.
"We really thought the city would have a net loss way higher than what we’re anticipating," she said.
At one point, the city expected to have a $1 million shortfall, but with the Blueprint, the City plans to close out the current fiscal year — ending June 30 — in a better shape than expected.
"We’re thrilled to be close to zero," said Ginn.
Winder initally made the cuts because its two major sources of cashflow for the city — sales taxes and water revenues — have declined.
Sales tax collections were 15-20 percent below what had been projectd and water consumption fell by 20 percent.
"Winder’s general fund is supported primarily by these revenue streams, and the severity of the downturn was unexpected," said Beck in February.
Ginn said she is in close contact with Winder Mayor Chip Thompson, as well as Beck, and that has helped the City to continue to offer services with a reduced staff.
"The main thing we’ve done that people have noticed is closed the drive-thru," she said.
Existing employees also have taken on extra tasks, and some positions will remained unfilled.
The 2009-2010 Fiscal Year budget for the City of Winder will be discussed at a special called meeting Monday, June 29 at 6 p.m. at the Winder Community Center. The public is invited to attend.
